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KNOW THE FACTS: Coors "Extreme" Attack Ad Misleads Voters

Wheat Ridge, CO -- In a new ad, Joe Coors tries to insinuate that decades-old votes by Ed Perlmutter when he was a state senator are too extreme. Here's the fact check and what you need to know about Joe Coors' misleading claims. You can also get more information on Perlmutter's Website at http://www.perlmutterforcolorado.com/page/know-the-facts---coors-tv-ads.

"These kinds of deceptive and desperate ads by Joe Coors are a disservice to voters and show the extreme lengths he will go to to insult the common sense and mainstream values of the hardworking people of this district" said Perlmutter spokeswoman Leslie Oliver. "Ed Perlmutter is the father of three daughters and is consistently supported by law enforcement, women's, families and victims assistance groups. Whether 16 years ago or today, Ed Perlmutter has a proven record of being tough on crime and protecting victims, and the hardworking people in the 7th trust him to represent their values in Congress."

Coors Claim:

"Ed Perlmutter voted against the law that protects victims of child abuse from having to face their abusers in court." (SB-96-174)

REALITY: In 1996 -- 16 years ago -- Perlmutter voted against SB 96-174, before closed circuit television had proven itself in the courtroom and because he felt the bill was unconstitutional because the Bill of Rights required anyone accused of a crime to face their accuser. Now that closed circuit has proven itself in the court of law, Perlmutter believes it meets constitutional requirements.

Joe Coors Claims:

"And Extreme Ed Perlmutter voted against Colorado’s law allowing the use of DNA evidence to convict sexual predators years later." (HB 01-1334)

Reality: Perlmutter is a father of 3 daughters and has a proven record of being tough on crime and protecting victims of assault. Ed voted against this bill in 2001, because he believes it was poorly written and unconstitutional because of its retroactive clause. The co-sponsor of this bill, Rep. Cheri Jahn, now believes that the bill was unconstitutional and would oppose it as well.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Ed Perlmutter has long enjoyed the support and endorsement from law enforcement including the Fraternal Order of Police in all of his Congressional races.

Perlmutter received 100 percent rating from the Colorado Women's Agenda in both 2000 and 2001 for his strong record on women's rights.

Perlmutter was named “Best of Congress” in 2012 by Working Mother Media for his work on behalf of women and working moms.

Perlmutter received numerous awards on behalf of his work for women and victims of crime, including being named Legislator of the Year by the Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado for his work on equal justice.

Perlmutter also served on the Colorado Victims Compensation & Assistance Coordinating Committee, which is the State Board that oversees the funding of programs from the Violence Against Women Act and the Victims of Crime Act because of his leadership on these important issues.

Here is a list of Bills Perlmutter supported pertaining to crime victim's rights while he served in the Colorado Legilslature.

Sponsored Bills

Sponsored Family Testimony Bill in Murder Trials One of Ed Perlmutter’s first successful bills was SB97-034, which allowed for families of murder victims to testify during sentencing of the perpetrator. (Senate Bill 97-034)

Sponsored Domestic Violence Data Ed Perlmutter was the primary sponsor of HB 01-1184 – which made courts help out families more in domestic violence cases.

Domestic violence legislation (HB 1184) developed out of a concern for children who witness domestic violence. Courts will give families information about resources that can help them deal with the impact that family violence has on their children. Requires data collection on domestic violence incidents that involve child witnesses and requires that program referral lists be given in civil matters involving domestic violence and child witnesses.

Co-Sponsored Amber Alert Ed Perlmutter co-sponsored HB 02-1083, which established the Amber Alert System to notify broadcast media statewide when an abduction of a child is confirmed. It officially became available in Colorado in July 2002.

Co-Sponsored Child Abuse Penalty Increases In 2002, Ed Perlmutter co-sponsored SB 02-205, which modified the crime of child abuse to include a child who is unreasonably placed in a situation that poses a substantial or unjustifiable threat of injury to the child’s life or health. It Increased the penalty for child abuse in cases where there is no injury to the child.

Prime Sponsor of Family Violence Justice Fund Ed Perlmutter was the primary sponsor of SB 97-073, which created a family violence justice fund in the state treasury.

Prime Sponsor For Increasing List of Sex Offenders Online On May 2, 2001, the Senate PASSED (32-3) HB 01-1155, which expanded the list of persons convicted of unlawful sexual behavior whose identifying information and picture must be posted on the Internet. That list of persons includes but is not limited to: persons who were convicted as adults of two or more offenses involving unlawful sexual behavior or crimes of violence; and persons who are convicted of a felony as an adult who fail to register as sex offenders. (Senate Journal, May 2, 2001)

For Increasing Sex Offender Penalties On May 4, 2001, the Senate PASSED (32-3) SB 210, which increased penalties for sex offenders who failed to register. (Senate Journal, May 4, 2001)